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ISE Graduate Curriculum

The ISE Department offers both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering. These degrees offer students with an opportunity to specialize in one of several concentration areas, opening doors to new jobs and career paths. These concentration areas include:

Data Analytics and Optimization. With the explosion of interest in big data analytics, skills that encompass both data management and business analysis are in great demand. This concentration on Data Analytics and Optimization focuses on using large data sets, computer models, and optimization methods to support data-driven decision-making. This combination of big data analytics with optimization is increasingly important in a wide variety of industries, including a focus on healthcare, retail and financial decision making, supply chain and logistics, manufacturing and energy systems.

The ISE M.S. Program in Data Analytics and Optimization is designed to provide students with a strong background in analytics, data science, computer science and optimization methods. Graduates will be prepared in the use of critical tool sets necessary for managing, visualizing, and extracting useful information from big data, as well as powerful skill sets for modeling, simulation, optimization and decision analysis in order to support efficient data-driven decision making. Ph.D. students can focus on these topics and associated research in even greater depth.

Human Systems Integration. The ISE Department has one of the premier research and educational programs in human systems integration in the world. This research focuses on both the mind and the body, with leading research efforts in cognitive systems engineering, biodynamics, physical ergonomics and safety engineering. Graduate students interested in human systems integration can specialize and complete either a Masters concentration or Ph. D. in one of the following areas:

Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. Through this program, students study, conduct research and gain work experience in occupational safety and ergonomics. A limited number of full-time students will also receive financial assistance (“traineeships”) through a grant from the National Institute for occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Our graduates work as:

Safety Engineers

Industrial Engineers

Human Systems Integration Specialists

Software Analysts

Human Factors Engineers

Integrated Lean Six Sigma. This program provides the opportunity to attain a Black Belt Certificate in Integrated LeanSigma and a Green Belt Certification in ILSS (upon successful completion of BB exam and successful completion of the GB Certification Project) to augment a MS in ISE. Confirmation of improvement and sustainability are required for certification. The blend of an MS in ISE and a certification in ILSS is in great demand, and our candidates have had great success in the job market and then in the early stages of their careers.

Manufacturing Processes. At the graduate level, ISE Department offers both a M.S. concentration and Ph.D. focusing on its excellent program in advanced manufacturing processes. This includes education and research concerned with:

Composites and nanocomposites manufacturing

Forming of lightweight materials

Light metal alloy development

Light metal casting processes

Micromachining and precision engineering

Polymer processing

Operations Research. The ISE Department has an outstanding group of faculty working in operations research, and awards both a M.S. and Ph.D. to students with a focus on the following topics in operations research:

Data analytics

Logistics and supply chain analysis

Optimization

Simulation

Statistics, data analysis and experimental design

Stochastic modeling

Supply Chain Management and Production Systems. Logistics is the science of design, control, and maintenance of the effective and efficient flow of resources, service, manufactured goods, personnel, and information. The Industrial Engineer typically focuses on certain aspects of logistics in the supply chain. These include:

Transportation of raw materials to the manufacturer.

Handling and storage of raw materials.

Production and storage of goods.

Scheduling and control of jobs and activities.

Management of the labor force.

Warehousing of finished goods.

Delivery of product to the customer.

Design of various portions of the supply chain that include raw material and distribution networks, production and warehouse facilities.

Design and control of information flow.

Business Logistics Engineering. ISE also offers a joint M.S. degree with the Fisher College of Business, the Masters of Business Logistics Engineering.

One of only a few similar programs at top universities in the country, the Master in Business Logistics Engineering (MBLE) is designed to enable students to enter the job market equally comfortable with logistics strategy, the management of logistics operations, and engineering tasks such as facility design and implementation of logistics technology.

Master in Business Logistics Engineering students come from diverse undergraduate majors such as computer science, economics, engineering, finance, international relations and management.